Til K WEALTH Of NATIONS.

617

being among the enumerated dying drugs, might be importedduty free. They were subjected, indeed, to a small pound-age duty amounting only to three-pence in the hundred-weightupon their re-exportation. France enjoyed, at that time, anexclusive trade to the country most productive of those drugs,that which lies in the neighbourhood of the Senegal ; and theBritish market could not be easily supplied by the immediateimportation of them from the place of growth. By the 25thGeo. II., therefore, gum senega was allowed to be imported(contrary to the general dispositions of the act of navigation),from any part of Europe . As the law, however, did notmean to encourage this species of trade, so contrary to thegeneral principles of the mercantile policy of England, it im-posed a duty of ten shillings the hundred-weight upon suchimportation, and no part of this duty was to be afterwarddrawn back upon its exportation. The successful war whichbegan in 1755 gave Great Britain the same exclusive trade tothose countries which France had enjoyed before. Our ma-nufacturers, as soon as the peace was made, endeavoured toavail themselves of this advantage, and to establish a mono-poly in their own favour, both against the growers, and againstthe importers of this commodity. By the 5th Geo. III. there-fore, chap. 37. the exportation of gum senega from his ma-jesty’s dominions in Africa was confined to Great Britain , andWas subjected to all the same restrictions, regulations, for-feitures, and penalties as that of the enumerated commoditiesof the British colonies in America and the West Indies . Itsimportation, indeed, was subjected to a small duty of sixpencethe hundred-weight, but its re-exportation was subjected tothe enormous duty of one pound ten shillings the hundred-weight. It was the intention of our manufacturers that thewhole produce of those countries should be imported intoGreat Britain , and, in order that they themselves might beenabled to buy it at their own price, that no part of itshould be exported again, but at such an expense as wouldsufficiently discourage that exportation. Their avidity,however, upon this, as well as upon many other occasions, dis-appointed itself of its object. This enormous duty present-ed such a temptation to smuggling, that great quantities ofthis commodity were clandestinely exported, probably toa ll the manufacturing countries of Europe , but particularlyto Holland, not only from Great Britain but from Africa .u pon this account, by the l4th Geo. III. chap. 10. this duty

2 R